It happened right in my own backyard. The most amazing and unbelievable thing happened right here in my backyard. The stars were shining bright and the moon was giving off her calming light. I finally got him back, my best friend. 

I was hiding near the few trees that were in my backyard and then I saw him. Aiden was right there in front of me. I could see his blonde hair clearly in the moonlight. He was wearing a dark red shirt and black shorts. I swear I saw some sort of liquid come out of his body, but I didn’t care. Tears started to form in my eyes.

“Aiden! Where have you been!?” I was so relieved that he was finally back. It's been so long since he hung out with me. I gave him the biggest hug I have ever given someone, even bigger than the hugs I give to Mom and Dad. That's saying something.

“Hey dude. Yea it's been a while, huh? How have you been holding up? I see you're wearing your matching sweater.” Aiden and I both had blue sweaters with green stripes on the sleeve near the wrists. Along with the sweater I was wearing some jeans with a few holes on them. Aiden smiled and I could see the gap where one of his front teeth should go. I don’t remember one of his teeth missing. I ignored it.

“I’ve been good. Where the heck have you been? You just left me without telling me you, meanie.”  

“Sorry about that Liam. I didn’t mean to leave you like that. It's just… never mind.” His voice got quiet and soft and Aiden’s smile grew a bit smaller. Just as I was about to ask more questions, I heard my mom yell. 

“LIAM! TIME TO COME INSIDE, DINNERS READY!” It wasn’t the clearest to hear, but I could make out what she yelled. I sighed. I didn’t want to come inside, especially since Aiden came back for me. 

“Aiden, let's go eat dinner. My mom and dad will be so surprised that you're here. Plus my parents will call your dad to come get you” Aiden’s face suddenly showed that he was concerned or worried, I wasn’t so sure back then. I knew that his dad wasn’t the best in the world since the accident with Aiden’s mom. I would usually try to avoid the harsh subject about it. Friends were supposed to help each other feel better, not make each other sad. 

“Hey, what's wrong?” I asked. Aiden snapped out of his little dark phase. 

“I can’t join you for dinner Liam. I need to get home now, ok? I’ll just walk to my house, It's not far.”

I frowned a little. Aiden was already thirteen years old while I was still at the small age of six. I would always think that once I was older I could finally be left alone about being friends with him. The kids at the playcare would always ask questions like ``How is a weirdo like you friends with someone older than you? ``  Or they would just be completely rude to me. Like I said, I thought the bullying would stop once I became older. I was far from the truth.

I don’t remember anything about the next few things he said to me, but I think it was just us saying goodbye to each other. He gave me a small charm shaped like a dinosaur, my favorite thing in the world.  

“Keep it with you so you won’t forget me,” he said. I was confused but after that I ran to get to the house. That part took a while since the house was a quarter of a mile away from all the trees. 

Once I got home I was out of breath, gasping for air. My dad was near the backyard door leading into the house. I could smell the roasted ham and gravy waiting for me to gobble them up.

“Dad! You won’t believe who I saw, I found Aiden and he gave me a dinosaur charm and-”

My dad turned toward me. All of a sudden his eyes were staring at me worried. He looked confused and scared. He bent down to his knees so his eyes reached mine. 

“Liam,” he said in a serious tone “What did you just say?” 

“Aiden gave me a dinosaur charm when I found him in the backyard, what's wrong with that?” Now I was the one confused. Did he not like the fact that Aiden came back or something? I think the next thing he did was drag me inside the house.

                        * * *

“To be honest Dr Steve, I feel tired. Can I take a nap?”

“Sorry kid, no can do. We need to finish the story.”

“Ok fine.” I still wanted to take a nap though.

 “Ok, what happened next after that?” Dr. Steve asked with a serious face. He was wearing one of those doctor coats with a blue shirt and black pants under it. He was holding his clipboard in hand and was writing down what I have been saying. Dr. Steve had his dark hair back with gel, which honestly made him look weird, but I didn’t say anything. After all, he was much older and stronger than me.

“Then Mom came and asked me questions and stuff like what Dad did. She had the same concerned expression that Dad had. After that they started to think I was crazy. Every time I would start to talk to them they would make an excuse and leave me alone. That's kinda why I’m here now.”

“Okay I see, and when was the last time you saw Aiden?” he asked.

“Mom and Dad said it was about a month ago I think. I do still have the dinosaur charm though. I left it at home because Mom said people would think I was going crazy if I told people that my best friend gave it to me.

Dr. Steven wrote a few more things down and looked back up at me. 

“Did your mother ever tell you why everyone will think you’re going crazy?”

I squinted my eyes trying to remember if my mother ever told me the reason. I replied with a no. Dr. Steven sighed.

“Ok, Liam I have something to ask you and I want you to answer honestly. Do you know what death or what being dead means? If you don’t I’ll tell you, even if you don’t know what it means.”

“No, but Mom and Dad mentioned it like once or twice. They never told me what it was and I never asked, I guess.”

I would never forget what he had said to me. I was too young to understand back then. Now that I’m older I know exactly what it means now. The moment replays in my head whenever it can. What he said was, “Liam, Aiden died two months ago.”